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Brioche

Christmas Bread Recipe

Name: Christmas Bread Recipe
Ingredients: 100 g butter, very soft (½ cup / 7 tbsp); 100 g sugar (½ cup); 2 eggs (size M); 100 g all-purpose flour, sifted (¾ cup); 50 g finely ground blanched almonds (½ cup); 1 pinch of salt; a small pinch of cinnamon; 30 g sugar (2 tbsp); 30 g sliced blanched almonds (¼ cup)

A wonderfully simple, traditional sheet cake from Masuria, traditionally baked during the Christmas season. Moist, nutty, and delicately spiced with cinnamon.

Cook Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

⁠100 g butter, very soft (½ cup / 7 tbsp)
100 g sugar (½ cup)
2 eggs (size M)
100 g all-purpose flour, sifted (¾ cup)
50 g finely ground blanched almonds (½ cup)
1 pinch of salt
a small pinch of cinnamon
For Sprinkling
30 g sugar (2 tbsp)
30 g sliced blanched almonds (¼ cup)

Directions

1
Beat the butter and sugar until very light, pale, and creamy.
2
Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter–sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
3
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon.
4
Add the dry ingredients to the butter–egg mixture and mix briefly until a thick, flowing batter forms.
5
Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter.
6
Grease a 27 × 17 cm baking tray or line it with parchment paper.
7
Spread the batter evenly over the tray.
8
Sprinkle evenly with sugar and sliced almonds. Bake at 175 °C / 350 °F (top/bottom heat) for 25–30 minutes, until lightly golden. The Christmas bread tastes especially aromatic the next day, once the flavors have fully developed.

Video

Christmas Bread Questions

How do I know when the Christmas bread is done baking?

After 25-30 minutes at 175 °C / 350 °F the surface should be lightly golden and the sugar-almond topping just starting to color. Because the batter is thin on a 27 × 17 cm tray, it bakes fast - start checking at 25 minutes. A skewer inserted in the center should come out with no wet batter clinging to it.

Can I replace the ground almonds with something else?

Ground hazelnuts work well and give a darker, more roasted flavor; use the same 50 g. You can also swap in the same weight of flour, but the bread will be drier and less tender, since the almonds contribute fat and moisture. Avoid almond flour that is much coarser than "finely ground," as it makes the batter grainy.

How should I store the Christmas bread, and how long does it keep?

Let it cool completely on the tray or a rack first, then cut it into pieces and keep it in an airtight tin at room temperature. Storing it warm traps steam and softens the crisp sugar-almond topping. The recipe notes it tastes especially good after resting, so a day or two in the tin only helps; it also freezes well once fully cooled.

Can I prepare anything ahead if I am baking for a party?

The batter should not sit around - the whipped egg whites are what lift it, and they deflate quickly, so spread it on the tray and bake right away. What you can do ahead is measure the flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon into one bowl and the sugar and sliced almonds for sprinkling into another. Better still, bake the whole tray a day early, since the flavor improves as it rests.

What is the most common mistake with this recipe?

Folding the stiff egg whites in too roughly, or stirring them until the batter looks smooth - that knocks out the air and gives a flat, dense bread. Fold gently with a spatula and stop while a few white streaks are still visible. The second common slip is butter that is not truly soft: cold butter will not beat pale and creamy with the sugar, and the batter stays lumpy.